lets see if I can dig up another anecdote from Europe 1991
not sure if anyone read the last one other than my touring partner Rob-

brb (internet geek speak for Be Right Back)
dioobantgts (joel speak for Dean Is Out Of Bed And Needs To Go To Sleep)

back
but lost all my stories to Dean
thought it would warm me up
but it wore me out
I am going to sit down in front of the other idiot box
well I would
but dean just got up again
he is JAZZED UP!
night

CITY LIFE
Washington DC is a major city with a down home feel. Sort of like Mayberry with more people.
Having lived here for as long as I have I have a slight social advantage (or disadvantage if you are antisocial) over some people. I run into people all over town all the time. When at lunch, on the trails in the woods, shopping at the market, or just walking down the sidewalk I can encounter people. The meetings have grown to be fewer and further between, but that reflects back on my homebody lifestyle. As a semi-pro drinker with near Olympic barfly status I developed a great number of connections and contacts and almost learned to shoot pool. Okay well, basically a great number of superficial friends. With adult life I now as I have a variety of responsibilities (wife, kids, dogs, and 9-5 straight job) my response to these familiar faces on the street has changed. I no longer feel compelled to shout out across the street, roam across the restaurant, or roll up on someone on my bike. It just seems that it is not as important as it once was. That is not to say that I do not give a wave or a nod, but I do not have the time and energy to 'talk up' any and every person I once knew. This is doing everyone a favor as I can be a bit of a "chatty kathy." After all, who really wants to hear about my life, sure people ask, but do they really want to know about the wonders of fatherhood. How I am going through a long list of very powerful emotions. The bond between me and Dean has hit new levels, currently he is sick, and it effects me. The empathy, the compassion, the symbiotic relationship, it is all a very fantastic experience. Grant is growing in front of me and there are marvels of life and nature right in front of me, but the actual bond has not really started to grow, yet I wait to experience all of those "firsts" for the third time. His first roller coaster ride will give us both a thrill, his first sled ride with cause both of our stomachs to drop and we will not care about the cold as the fun will overwhelm us, well...until it is all too late and he is crying with blue lips and icy red hands. Dean showed me the moon. It had been there all along, but I think somehow I forgot to appreciate it. But now I look for it each day, and appreciate each and every phase. Grant will show me these things through his eyes and I will grow to understand them all over again. As I get to be a father Dean will get to be an older brother. Ah, siblings...the joy and the pain. A blog for another day.

Enough babbling, I see an old friend who has not heard me update them with information that they neither asked for nor care to hear.

keep in mind when I write this that I am a social addict! (which has always been a bit of a hassle since I don't like people, but I need the interaction, a painful paradox) so don't think that I have gone COLD TURKEY on saying hey to people. just last week I interrupted Stevie G while he was having lunch with his co-working peeps at the Vietamese restaurant and then the next day, yes the next day, I sat myself down with Luke from many years ago at Big Wheel Bikes and interrupted his girl watching!

another FLASHBACK

One Spring Break during college my brother Marc and I drove down to Florida in our beige four door diesel Rabbit. Actually, we drove down to Florida several times in that fuel efficient machine that lacked air conditioning, whose radio did not play louder than the engine at highway speed and had a top speed of 65mph. That is 65 miles per hour with the wind at your back while going downhill. On this one particular trip there was the usual mix of various Gulf of Mexico beaches, retirement community poolside tanning, and an occasional night out while trying to meet grandma's curfew. One afternoon I napped in the twin bed beside Marc as he read. It was a hot uncomfortable midday nap. I woke from my nap with one of those jet propelled leaps that reflects the final actions of a dream, usually a nightmare. Marc saw this panicked leap and in his Mr. Spock Vulcan way asked about the specific details of the dream and how they corresponded with the physical behavior that he had just witnessed. So I told him...."it was all very vague. no real details of anything other than that I was riding my bike. it was not the perspective of seeing me ride a bike, but rather the perspective one sees from the bike, even more so like the perspective one would see through a video camera as filmed by a person riding a bike. riding along in a casual manner, nothing happening to cause any danger or to evoke any fear, then when all of a sudden my perspective shifted from the world around me to my stem and handlebars and then the front wheel. It was the start of an ENDO; you know...a POLISH WHEELIE! the earth in front of me had become this white mass. That mass engulfed my front wheel, halting my bike's progress, yet laws of motion kept me hurling forward. Flying over the handlebars and out of the bed. Ending with one of those questions....If you die in your dream, do you die in real life? I almost bumped my head in my dream and almost bumped my head in real life as these were times when helmets were not worn (either in bed or on the bicycle)"

That was it. No real explanation of the the story. Not any deep meaning. And no great discussion. It was a basic meaningless dream. We laughed about how silly I looked and maybe even discussed dreams and dreaming. That is all a distant memory that is not so significant that I can recall. The rest of our Spring Break went along as each Spring Break prior and each Spring Break after. We pissed off our grandmother and she was happy that we left, we got a massive sunburn on one of the first days in FLorida and our tans started to peel as we crossed into South Carolina and were gone by the time we passed through North Carolina, and most importantly....there had not been any Spring Break romance.

The rest of the college semester went along as uneventful as the rest, or perhaps as eventful as the rest. I can not recall. Right now the "glory days" are forgotten, it would take a case of Natty Boh (National Bohemian) or Milwalkee's Best to help me to recall what college was all about. After the semester ended I headed back to my parent's home in Bethesda and enthusiastically got back in the swing of summer with my summer job, bicycle messenger.

One hot summer day headed back from work I linked up with fellow B-CC graduate Scott Llewellyn. He was back for the summer as well and also working as a messenger. We rode fast through traffic, splitting lanes, running lights, and taking all sorts of unnecessary risks that I still take now. There was a bond and their was a rivalry, we each rode hard, yet were at a relaxed enough pace to carry on a bit of a conversation. As we climbed the Conneticut Avenue hill at Van Ness UDC Scott recommended that we take a left, as his parent' s house was a tad further west than mine, it was not out of the way so I followed along. As we meandered down a side street with less traffic our pace dropped and we put more emphasis on the conversation. (which more than likely revolved around topics like...."where are you drinking tonight?" or "have you seen this girl or that girl?") ahead the road was blocked off with those construction horses with the darkness activated flashing light, well you see less of them now, but they were commonplace many years ago. We split the horses and rode on the textured concrete that would be the sublayer of road beneath the black asphalt that had yet to be laid. The road continued with a pattern of breaks in the road, some cross streets still being active, then another set of reflective construction barriers with the darkness activated blinking light. As we passed through the last set of barriers I felt my momentum slow. I looked forward and saw my stem and handlebars. Then my front wheel. The earth in front of me was white and engulfed my front wheel, I started flying over the handlebars. Just like the dream. Only it was not a dream. I tried to get up, but my balance was off and my legs were like jello. I stepped forward and stumbled again. Had I hit my head, had my whole sense of balance been thrown off? I noticed Scott was laughing, then a jogger was laughing, I looked at Scott and saw he was covered in wet concrete, I looked at myself and saw that I was covered in wet concrete. The laughter came on fast and heavy as my mind put together the actions that had just taken place. I stepped forward to brace myself as the laughter grew stronger, each footstep went deep into the freshly poured concrete. We had both gone over the handlebars landed unhurt with no damage to our bikes. It was a scene from some bad Disney film that was never made. Things like this do not happen in real life.

Then there was the memory of the dream. It never explained itself. It never became clear. Why a preminition of this?

back to this in a few
would like to proof read this if I have a second
hate ranting on
and not having it appear the least bit readable

time for bed
good night

well first I need to ride my bike home
and well
there are a number of bars that I pass on the way home
we will see if I go straight home

only the future knows

sure could use a glass of red wine right now!

Top three CYCLING Movies.....
(and not in any order....everything is up to discussion)

1. Breaking Away

2. The Bicycle Thief

3. Pee Wee's Big Adventure

agreed?
thought so
there are few things I am right about
but this is surely one of them

SATURDAY/TODAY/WHATADAY!
Everybody slept late!
Everbody! Lisa! Grant! Dean! Roscoe! Brutus! and ME!
It was awesome. Sort of cut into lisa's hike time, but we managed to get out of the gate in time for the day
started the day with hanging with Grant and Dean while Lisa did a loop in the woods with Roscoe and Brutus
then I mounted up the Blizzard, lock in pack along with some water, banana, Red Bull, and some other random cycling fuels
went off to Astanga Yoga Center at Tenleytown for some Yoga with Gail
it was a good class
I fear getting inverted
no hand stands
no head stands
yes shoulder stands
but not tripods with my head either
other than that things went well
not that I am flexible
it feels good just the same
after class no time to chat
already in cycling knickers and jersey went straight from class to a MORE hosted trail maintenance day at Cabin John
got outside the beltway from Tenly in less than 17 minutes
not bad for a fat guy on a fat tire bike
poked into the trails to see if I could lend a hand
the day for them had started at 9:30
I called the leader in the am to see if he thought things would still be going on at 12:30
he said yes
and they were
so I lent a hand and did a little John Henry with the ax
it was futile yet fun
after swinging that axe for over an hour with brakes I was informed by a Department of Recs person guiding the maintenance that the logs were going to be cut down with chain saws later that day
aided where I could after that
helped with the tools back to the trailhead
then back on the bike
backtracked in the woods to get to the C&O
took a link on the loop that is moderately technical
turns out to be a day of Goldie Locks and the Mountainbike trail
so much of that trail is too easy
much of it is too hard
and some of it is just right
but the proportion of too hard is enough for me never to dip in there again
sure there were a few meters of great rock gardens
but the hike to bike ratio was poor
pedaled down the towpath along the canal towards downtown
the tourists and the fair weather people were out in force
I joined in the madness and put on the iPOD
figured if I could not beat them
join them
got home a few minutes later than lisa had hoped
she was bummed that she missed YOGA due to a bruise on her back
and her mood was apparent
I grabbed Grant and went to grab Dean at my mom's
Lisa had dropped him off in the late morning
got there Dean was tired and hot, maybe not a fever, but not feeling 100%
it made for tough situation as I had planned on taking him to the barber
Dean tends to be a good negotiator
but sick
he wins everytime
no need argueing with him
we dashed over to my dad's instead
he was cleaning his Koi pond out back
and there was plenty of stuff for Dean to get into
we killed some time there
then headed for home
grabbed some stuff from the curb for Grant
an exer-saucer and a vibrating rocker
hope they were giving it away
either way thanks
and once back home lisa was refreshed
in the 2 hours we were gone she managed to go for a good walk on this nice day in the woods
Dean did not wake on the transfer
took him up to my bed where he continued his nap
Dave and Anna came over with their son Rowan
Dean was not getting up for the BBQ experience
finally he joined in on the fun
but he was in a funk
sharing was not his thing
he was overly possessive, beyond grumpy
with the guests still there I took Dean up to give him a bath
figured he could use it
maybe it will help him relax and help with his cough
dressed him for bed
and then here I am
back at work
taking a break
here doing updates on all the XP machines
not a bad gig
running around the building with my iPOD blasting
earning a comp day
after a wonderful day

:


apparently people do not care for long BLOGS


:

currently reading a good book METAL COWBOY
so far it is a good read
he is a talented writer with a wealth of experience
the tales are about the people he meets and the experiences he has as a he tours about the country and the world via bicycle....guess that will get me to try and put a rant on that topic
lets see if I can get a story to surface

here it is
the year is 1990
just graduated from St Mary's College of Maryland
in Europe with Rob Hardesty and our bicycles

We were just a week into a five week trip in Europe; three countries Holland Belgium, and France
it was set out to be a mixture of travel and touring
we were flexible
flow with the river
blow with the breeze
just a rough idea of places we wanted to go and things we wanted to see
a plan that could be revised at any second
maps purchased when we arrived
no Lonely Planet, nothing
there were a few contacts we had here and there
and the ground we wanted to cover
we opted to mix bicycle touring with riding train
each day was an adventure
Rob and I were young and wet behind the ears
neither of us had done much touring or traveling
nor had either of ever been out of the United States
sure there had been a few long rides to the beach or along the canal
but never more than a few miles from a Super Big Gulp at the 7-11
so one week into the trip we had already discovered that things do not always go as planned
sometimes they work out better
sometimes they blow up in your face
we had flown into Amsterdam, spent a few days tooling around the city
taking in the sites, some museums, and the culture
most of our days were spent in the park making our own sociological surveys
we rode from Amsterdam to Osterbeck (near Arnem) where we stayed with a high school friend's Dutch grandmother
actually, she was headed out of town for the weekend, so we did not stay with her, we stayed at her place
Rob managed to get her to entrust us with the keys to her home, or more clearly her home
in exchange we did a few chores around the house
nothing too taxing, just things she was unable to accomplish herself
even got proactive and switched her refrigerator door to open in a more logical direction
she returned happy to see that we had not robbed her and that we were leaving
from there we rode south towards Belgium
it was glorious riding
very flat
clean crisp air
a castle in the distance here and there
and canals everywhere
and very very green, wide open and green
the only thing more present than tulips and castles were the cyclists
people of all age on bicycles
all cruising at a leisurely pace
we passed them all with our heavily loaded aqua marine green Bianchi mountainbikes
then when we stopped to have lunch and refuel
these same cyclists would pass us
we were being taught the touring equivalent of "The tortoise and the Hare"
one day we set out for the next town on the map with a Youth Hostel
we made some calculations and set on our way
it was a long day
our course was clear
we got directions from helpful a cyclist or two and felt confident about our direction
as it turns out our course was correct
while our calculation of the distance was incorrect
the flat Dutch country side started to roll as we got closer to Belgium
never a climb
but with our untrained bodies these long rolling hills were taxing on our body
to break the monotony and to use a different set of muscles we walked our bikes for small stretches
as the sun set we contemplated sleeping under a tree on the roadside
but I figured we had gone that far, we could make the final 7-10 miles
Rob agreed, but he saw the measure in my eyes
he had to fight my desire to "just knock it out"
often spirit is as good as strength and conditioning
and I felt that a 7-10 ride could be an easy sprint, like riding from downtown to Bethesda after a long night of drinking
put the body on auto pilot and pedal way
the legs move with the ballistic power like the wings of a bird
rob was not ready for such an expenditure
we were a team
so we moved and worked as a team, settled in on an agreeable pace and made it to our destination

(here is where the story starts)

we were overjoyed
we rolled into a small quaint little village
what may have been considered a European city at one point in time
beautiful old architecture
we rolled in a little after sunset
too tired to do much more than check into the Youth Hostel, unpack our gear, and fall into a deep sleep
once in the town center we got our barings straight we went to the Hostel
or at least we went to the address where the Hostel once was
this was the second time we had arrived only to find that our information was not up to date
there had been a Youth Hostel there, but no more
the 6.95 we spent on the Youth Hostel book and the 20 dollars each for an American Youth Hostel membership was proving to be a waste
we pondered what to do
as we rested our legs and thought about our next move
just then a pack of teen age boys passed through the town square on mopeds
either a gang of geeks or perhaps some delivery boys just released from work and on their way home
the one in the lead of the pack came to a stop
threw down his moped and began stomping on it
we approached the young men and tried to make an introduction
we tried what Dutch we had learned in our week in Holland
rob tried his three years of French with Madame Kitze from high school
and we tried english
we got nothing but blank stares
very different from Holland where everyone claimed that they did not speak much English, yet were able to convey abstract concepts and talk about world affairs
here these boys spoke and understood nothing but Flemish
it was a frustrating moment
we were exhausted from a long day's ride
they were frustrated with their moped being out of gas
then the inability to communicate did not help matters at all
they went back to the bike and surveyed the situation
one of the young boys pulled out some beers and they started drinking
they were drinking a local beer whose name I can not recall
the bottles were small 7 or 10 ouncers, what may be known in the states as Ponies
rob and I watched as they fiddled with the bike
more kicking than anything else
as a man I wandered over to lend a hand
men are very good at giving advice
even on issues that they know nothing about
I walked over and stopped them from kicking their moped any longer
made eye contact with one of the boys
and gestured for his empty beer bottle
with the bottle in hand I walked to one of the other mopeds and pulled the fuel line from the carburetor and filled the empty beer bottle with gas
replaced the fuel line
then walked to the moped that was lying lifeless on the sidewalk like a beached whale
poured the gas into the tank
and fired the moped right up
there was a cheer
friends were made!
immediately we were each handed a beer
I took that small bottle popped off the cap
flicked the cap off into the far far distance with a snap of my thumb
and chugged that Pony in one gulp
respect was earned
the gaggle of boys stared in awe
this tall american man with long brown hair and a bright green bike was doing things that they had never seen before
things that are common place to any american playing drinking games in their parent's basement
and then we talked
there was no language so we began a game of Charades
I motioned that we were looking for a place to stay
with the universal sign for sleeping (hands together like in prayer, resting beneath the ear of my tilted head)
they understood and took us around to various hotels
no Motel 6 in this joint
not sure how costly things were
as exhaustion never helps with the conversion of foreign currency
we chased behind them on their mopeds in this little city in Belgium until we were back in the town square
the boys talked amongst themselves
they made an offer
one of the boys said we could stay at their house with their family
it was only 8 kilometers away
I was excited
the notion of being invited into their house and getting a taste of their culture and maybe some pancakes for breakfast was appealing to me
rob would not have it
from what we calculated once back in the states we had ridden over a hundred and thirty miles that day
with overloaded panniers
rob put his foot down
he was not going to ride any further
not for a free place to stay
not for a warm bed
not for a Belgian breakfast
he did not trust their rough estimate of distance
and was not confident that their parents would invite us in upon our arrival
rob has the stubbornness of a mule, the harder you work to change his mind
the hard he stands his ground
there was no effort made to sway him towards the moped rider's offer
so we moved back to the game of charades
we asked it there was a good hidden spot to sleep on the street
night prior we had slept in someone's carless garage
which was great cover from the rain
but they did not think that this was a good idea
one boy put his hand forward and close together as if in hand cuffs
that was a result that was not attractive to anyone
soon enough it was getting later and darker
they needed to get home
and we needed to get settled in on a place to stay
we meandered about the city
and found a dock near the river
I scouted out some small sail boats hoping to sleep in one of the cabins
it was starting to rain
the cabin of the sailbboats seemed like the best cover
rob was right in thinking that it would be an awkward situation to wake up to the enraged owner of the small boat
the image of the imaginary handcuffs was in both of our minds
so we opted to sleep on street
we found some large cardboard boxes and made shelters in a classic homeless style
we were tired
rain, cold, and wind were not going to keep us from sleeping
there was talk of one of us staying awake and sleeping in shifts to protect our gear and our lives
rob took the first shift
he was asleep before me
I was too tired to complain
and too tired to bring my lock out of my bag

that was just one day and one night of an adventure that lasted for five weeks
we learned a great deal about ourselves and the world on that trip
we are still great friends and still ride bikes together
even if we did part ways 2/3 of a way through that 5 week journey
lucky for us we made a pact to stay friends after that trip no matter what
it was a good deal to make and a great deal to keep

.



Michael Moore


need I say moore?



.

good morning rain!
another rainy day here in washington dc
it is not so bad, Rock Creek is getting green
obviously the rain has its merits
but as an avid mountainbiker I must say MUD SUCKS!
so no DIRT for me for a few days, hopefully this rain does not continue for the next few weeks

last night as the sun set the sky was ablaze
it was a wonderful site
the sky was a mixture of orange and pink with the rain coming steadily down
a glorious moment
lisa and I stood at the bay window of our glorious Mt Pleasant home and took it all in
it was quite a spectical with the mist and haze within the deep woods blurring the trees further away from the house

then this morning out with the dogs
the dogs running wild in the wet woods
breathing hard a visible breath
perhaps the last visible breath of the season, I hope

more gear
gortex down to the socks
on the bike
a short wet ride into work
with lights lights and more

back to work
big wigs in town
Dan is anchoring the evening news from the Russell building

Karate Monkey!
This is what happens when you leave your Karate Monkey Parked Over Night!
life for the owners of a 29 incher
(and I am referring to my bike)
are often like the life of Gulliver from Gulliver's Travels
(not Gulliver's Hair Salon in Hoboken, NJ)



this shot posted here at the BBC

while chanced upon here at this wonderful BICYCLEBLOGGER page or is that CYCLINGCLOGGER's page?

Funny Stuff...
Here are some great posts....
Not bitter angry rants, just the facts. So much of what is said here I have been saying for years. There are a few documentary ideas here that I will never develop that have been bouncing around in my head for years.
Eric Roman rants on his seasonal return to the DC Messenger scene.

Many years ago (perhaps that was 'back in the day') I worked as a messenger. There was a strange glory to this job. It offered a great amount of freedom, got paid to do something that I loved (ride my bike), and again back to the freedom. Showed up at an irregular hours, bailed out at irregular hours, took vacations without asking, it was an effort to be everything that a straight job (coat and tie) was not. And in many ways it was everything a straight job was not....there were not taxes taken out, there was no insurance, there was not a 401K, no paid vacations or holidays, no retirement plan. In the end the couriers who settle in as "set wage" or "guarentee" riders end up working harder and getting less than those people with the 'ties.' Sorta silly. The set wage guys end up showing up at regular hours and leaving at regular hours, but getting paid a substandard wage...

There were great days....Clear skies, warm breeze, and women taking long lunches and basking in the spring sun. Flowers in bloom. But the reality is that this is Washington DC, the land where the first question people ask is...."What do you do?" and if your answer is "Messenger/Courier." the only women who will light up will be the one who wants to get back at her dad, lucky for me there were many women looking to do just that. Date the bad boy, see how pissed of dad can be. DC has cold wet winters, if it were only cold enough for the rain to turn to snow it would be a tad less painful, but that is not how it is, the cold bites through the skin, deep into the bones, the water is colder than ice, the humidity gets the last laugh in the winter as well as the summers....AAh, SUMMER TIME! August in Washington is nothing shy of brutal, three quick steps and your average male is drentched with sweat, so hot, so humid that those roughing it without AC end up sweating in the shower, and when they go to brush their teeth they find that their tooth paste is not tooth paste, but tooth liquid. This is not prime riding weather. Pushing the bicycle through a thick wall of air, thick hot wet air. Drafting behind a bus in the winter may be nice, that gust of warm exhaust can be pleasing, but in the summer each piece of exhaust clings to the messenger's sweaty body....I remember homeless people pointing at me saying, "that guy needs to take a shower!"

back to my straight job
and
back to this blog later

read Eric's Rant
it is more clear than mine
perhaps I will get back to mine later
there is a great deal on this topic that I may want to get out
BLOGGING is cheaper than therapy!

I love email
yes, I know, okay...I will say it
I LOVE EMAIL
I AM AN EMAIL ADDICT
nothing worse that BLOGGING about and hearing that audible signal that I have mail
no, not that classic AOL, "You've Got Mail!"
just a basic computer beep
although it would be nice to load that AOL voice
as I still have a Pavlovian response when I hear it
but as I stepped away from my iPOD playlist playing to check my email I was dupped
the email that was landing in my Inbox was just my most recent blog postings

made me feel pretty silly
if it were not for my two dogs, my awesome kids, and my wonderful wife I would be a big loser

BICYCLE?
As I download music to my iPod I am reading BLOGS as they pull up on my Mac
came across this random BLOG with this random little known fact

Apple or Bicycle

DC's own Ian MacKaye

PANCAKE MOUNTAIN

not Teen Idles
not Minor Threat
not Embrace
not Egg Hunt
not Fugazi

did I miss any of his bands?
(and yes, I know I mentioned this before, but a friend in SF asked, and did not have his info handy so rather than emailing him, figured I could set it out here for him to find)

A few years ago I learned about some SHAREWARE called GIF BUILDER. It is primitive compared to what FLASH animation of today. I had some fun with this stuff just the same. Here are two pieces that move, the Trackskid Can moves as well, hit Refresh and Scroll down if you do not see the motion.


and yes
that is me before I met genetics head on with the clippers

My favorite cycling magazine DIRT RAG decorates each issue by reader submitted art. This is something that I sent their way, it did not make the cover, but they did put on the inside with some other reader art.

yes
that is somewhat of a self portrait

One of the founding members of the City Bikes Mountainbike Team is a now retired (then active) courier.
Recently he has been jumping back and forth between State College PA and DC. He is a single speeding monster. A rigid single speeding monster. In addition to riding, racing, and having a good time he has also moved to some grass roots race promotion. This is something I tossed together for his race last year.

Single Speeders with a love for rock gardens watch for his race in 2004!
(okay, Rocco got the info on this event...
EAST COAST NORTH AMERICA SINGLE SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP OF THE UNIVERSE! (Part II)
aka ECNASSCOTU2!)



oh
and eric's correct email address....
eric@mtnittanywheelworks.com
(that other email is in the image and I am too lazy to edit it)

C-Span Hearing: Condoleezza Rice-

Well, you do not need to tune into C-Span for this.
If you are looking for Regis and Kelly....not today, Judge Joe Brown? Not Today! Reruns of Gilligan's Island, well, okay, some channels are not playing the live 9-11 Commission Hearings, but most every channel is playing this same hearing live.

I am not following her that closely, but I do think that she could use a better speech writer. She has used this reference to a "SILVER BULLET" in reference to killing terrorism as a whole and then later in the speech to Osama Bin Laden, and is sure to use it again.
I was not aware that Osama was a werwolf! Was not aware that AL-Qaeda was comprised of werwolfs, we should have seen that the full moon was coming. That would have prepared us better for 9-11.
Maybe she can use a different MYTH for each of real life groups/people that have threatened and caused great damage to the US.
There are not just silver bullets, there are stakes to be driven through the heart, there is the use of the mirror, day light, and that is just for Vampires.

step away from my ramblings and check out ROBLOG
he has this link to a Celebrity Look Alike Make Over that is a must read!

go there
check it out
laugh out loud
and then
have a nice day!

Ro-blog better know as Rob-log

funny....so often when out on my bike I will get an aggressive response from a car driver about my cycling behavior
"STOP AT THE STOP SIGN!"
"STAY IN YOUR LANE!"
"GET THE FUCK OFF THE ROAD!!!"
"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!"
Most cyclists have heard these remarks in one form or another, other times it is the hand gesture pointing to the bike path or the sidewalk, or another finger telling the cyclist to go someplace unearthly. Certianly some of these car drivers mean well. But most of them just do not get it. The behaviors of the cyclist are to benefit not just the movement and safety of the cyclist, but the flow of traffic as a whole. Usually cyclists ride to the right of traffice, giving the car drivers ample room for passing; unless of course that is not the safest passage (as in the traffic paterns of downtown DC where the ONE WAY streets alternate, thus having a flow of turning traffic changing from the far right lane to the far left lane) Strange that a car driver gets miffed when they cross the double yellow line in the middle of the road only to be passed by the cyclist at the red light. In this case the cyclist is progressing forward just as the car is, no difference. Now when the cyclist runs the stop sign or the red light, well that is a tough one to explain. I view it as more like "leading" than "stealing." Or more simply, I see it as one of the opportunities when law abidding members of society move into the "Gray Area" yet still view themselves as being in the right. Every car on the road speeds. The speed limit will read 25 MPH and people feel as if the car is permitted to go 35, and at the posted 55MPH they feel just in going 65MPH, and so on. Well, when a cyclist chooses to breeze through a stop sign or a red light they are doing the same thing. Re-evaluating the law and applying what they see as a sensible alternative. Clearly no car wants to be stuck behind a cyclist as they make a full stop at each intersection and then wait as the cyclist slowly gets up to speed. No, it is to the advantage of the car driver for the cyclist to move fast and fluid, and well to the right of the road. The car driver is then allowed to break the law and pass over the double line to pass the cyclist.

back to work
this thought like many is going now where
no desire to proof read
actually no desire to PUBLISH AND POST
but I have gone this far

DIRT RAG ARTICLE on race promoters

SMART CARS!
SMART CARS?
SMART CARS.

this is a trend in cars that I can appreciate

and apparently there will be an SUV HYBRID in the future
we have the technology
now we are starting to use it

my wife's family wagon
well her's is a fresco green 2001 and a half
but basically her car

embracery (em-BRAY-suh-ree) noun, also imbracery.

An attempt to influence a jury illegally as by bribery, threats,
or promises. One guilty of embracery is known as an embraceor.

as in the TYCO trial

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/23/national/main608104.shtml

our system sucks
maybe the Fab Five can make over our system of Government!??!??!??!

This is beyond METROSEXUAL!
this is INTELLIGENT-METROSEXUAL COMEDY!

For all the liberals who watch Queer Eye...this is fun!

Right Wing Eye.

have a laugh
and
then realize that there are people in the United States that actually agree with these JOKERS!
Reactionary?

HYPOCRISY

Once again I have caught myself being a HYPOCRITE!
No I was not driving and talking on my cell phone, well I did, but that is not what I am talking about. I am referring to the notion of trying to be pious in my actions and teaching lessons. After sharing with one of the City Bikes Mountainbike Team members about the nail traps set on the dirt trails that I wrote about in the entry prior I was told about how there are land owners who set traps on the Appalachian Trail for hikers. Seems the land owners do not like sharing their land so they set some pretty basic traps, they hang fish hooks on clear fishing line at head level at certain parts of the trail. That bummed me out. I rode home thinking about that and then got into my wife's Volkswagen passat and took Grant for a drive to send him off to dreamland. As I drove down Park Road dipping into Rock Creek Park a car rode close on my tail. The speed limit is 25 MPH, I was going 30. Took a turn onto Beach drive and started a drive through the long winding roads of Rock Creek Park. Again maintaining a speed of 30 MPH another car followed uncomfortably close behind me, almost pushing me to accelerate. Slowly a few other cars queued up behind me. I had become a pace vehicle. It was intentional. I ride my bike on this rode and I live on a road with fast moving traffic. I figure that if everyone drove at a safe speed then they would force the speeders to slow down. So there I am...out teaching lessons. I am the avid hiker setting nails on the path for cyclists. Well, not really, but I do resemble his/her actions in some way, only with a less negative resolve. But my intentions are as arrogant and as pious. If I can drive a rational speed without my purpose to be anything more than a safe driver, well fine. But if my goal is to hinder the progress of others well, I am just no better than anyone else in this world spending their time teaching lessons.

Saint Peter

One day last week before work I went for a spin on my Karate Monkey.
I took the long road into work and tried to sample a few of the urban trails. After a few hundred yards on dirt here mixed in with some paved roads there and some more dirt I found myself over spinning down the Capital Crescent trail heading from Bethesda towards Georgetown. I passed the hidden BMX/Freerider course that exist just near River Road on the Maryland Border, crossed through the Delecarlia Tunnel, over the bridge, and into DC. Just entering DC behind the resivour there is a very small network of trails. But a minute or two on dirt can be like a candy bar, it may not fill my belly, but it is a tastee treat. I rode the loop several times, thinking what I could do to make the trails more fluid. My 'in time' was rapidly approaching so I figured I could hit the loop one last time. On my return I felt my front end getting a little squishy, being a rigid bike I knew that I was losing air in the front tire/tube. Pulled over, found a stump to sit on and did a quick repair. After a thousand strokes of my minipump the tire was filled to a solid PSI, mounted the wheel on the bike, flipped the bike upright, immediately I could feel that the rear end was flat too. I was SOL (shit out of luck.) I had only one spare tube and no patches. It looked like I was going to be walking. Called work to let them know I was going to be a tad late and started my march. A fellow cyclist ended up loaning me some patches after a few miles of walking and I got into work about an hour late. I emailed my brother Marc and told him my tale of woe with the two flats. Marc responded smugly with a simple, "clydesdale, rigid, single speed." As if implying that I had pinched flatted, snake bites front and back.

Then on Sunday as I was doing some home repair Marc went for a spin on the same set of trails. He too got two flats. Having recalled my story he became suspect. Feeling somewhat paranoid he searched for a trap. Sure enough, Marc found a row of nails glued to a strip of wood, tucked under some leaves. Seems that someone does not like the bikes on those trails and has taken matters into their own hands. After he told me what had happened I responded with this email...

after we got off the phone I thought to myself....
"two men arrive at the Pearly Gates of heaven at the same time. st.
peter halts them and asks them to state why they each deserve to get into heaven. the mountainbiker starts off by saying, "well, I did not live a perfect life. there were times when I bent and even broke the rules. I remember the sign said NO BIKING, but I proceeded forward. the woods was so beautiful and the feeling was so pure. I knew it was wrong, but I could not deprive myself of the pleasure." st. peter nods and turns to the other man. the man was an avid hiker who was ready with his reply, "no apologies here. i lived a long clean life. did not drink or smoke. went to church. lived an honest life. so honest that I would try to stop cyclists from riding on local hiking trails by placing traps to cause them to flat out. the nails were miles deep in the trail that they were taught a great lesson when they had to walk out of the trail. you see, the nails usually took out both tires and rarely does a cyclist travel with two tubes if any." st peter nods, opens the gates and motions his hand to enter. the mountainbiker looks in st peter's eyes with question, st. peter nods knowingly and welcomes him in. the avid hiker with his traps and lessons did not look for affirmation as he was so stuck in his head that he was right that he just stepped forward. st. peter put his palm to his chest, stopped him in his tracks, nodded side to side saying gesturing no, then pointed down. the gates slammed shut, the avid hiker with his righteousness was gone, and the gates were shut. St. Peter and the mountainbiker walked into heaven. St. Peter looked the mountainbiker in the eye and nodded, and thought out loud, "yes, I know....I wanted to punch him in the nose too. then the mountainbiker noticed they were no longer walking, but rolling through the heavens on bicycles"

Riding a bicycle on these trails may not be legal. But, setting traps is not just illegal, but also potentially dangerous and nothing shy of obnoxious. No one is in the position to play hiking bernard getz. we have laws and we have people who enforce them. these trails are not marked, giving me the sense that even hiking on these trails is not sanctioned or foot or for bike. The foot traffic is just as much in the wrong as the bike traffice, but I am not trying to stop anyone from enjoying their day. People need to spend more time "POLICING THEMSELVES."
Too often a person is walking their dog off leash on the urban trails and they reprimand me for riding on the foot trails, while they too are breaking/bending the rules. In my life I have never heard of a bike jumping out an biting anyone, seems these people need to police themselves. I try to be pleasant. Thank they for their information and avoid conflict. Although I did have words with a women once and left her with these words...."let he who is without sin cast the first stone."
Not sure if she understood that passage or knew its root, but it felt better than curssing at her.

THE FATE OF DAN COMBER'S MOUNTAINBIKE RACE SERIES

for those who have not heard
the race series hosted by Dan Comber is in jepordy
below is an email I sent out to some cycling friends of mine to see if I can get people to rally to breathe life back into the series
or at least let Dan know that we are thankful for the years of racing that he has offered us in the past

Good Morning-
The rain has taken another day of mountainbike racing from us and from the Dan Comber's Mountain Bike Race Series. Rather than riding, I am typing while holding my 7 week old son Grant and thinking about the future of local mountainbike racing...

Mountainbiking is a growing sport, the DC metropolitan area is an over populated area, thus when mountain biking in the DC area the trails are often crowded. When trail riding basic courtesy towards other trail users is vital; whether those users are blue haired ladies with blue haired dogs or another cyclist riding the same loop in the opposite direction each person has their right to enjoy their own personal trail experience. One of the great things about riding in a race is that the likelihood of a hiker on the trail ahead or a cyclist coming the other way is almost impossible. This allows the riders/racers to test their personal limits, pushing the downhills and the blind curves as fast as their courage and equipment can take them. Other advantages include a well marked off course so that there is not a great deal of time spent finding the best loop, little time is wasted discussing which turn to take at each fork in the trail, and spending an excess time on the trail finding your way home. There are an assortment of other advantages to racing., the rush of competition, the camaraderie of the experience, the compulsion to ride our hardest and to not let down, the list goes on. My point of this rant to have people realize that if we lose Dan Comber as Mid Atlantic Region race promoter we will be losing a great opportunity to do some local racing. We will all find ourselves lining up in the queue at Shaffer Farms, Patapsco State Park, and Gambril. Waiting for parking spaces and all the other negative aspects of trying to mountainbike on a nice sunny weekend day. Race promotion is a job, but perhaps it is a job with a tad bit of "vocational" status, not unlike a fireman or a policeman. There is a paycheck, but it is also a greatly needed service. Dan Comber has been offering a great service to the local mountainbike community and I feel that he has gone on unappreciated. Perhaps if we spread the word to Dan that we NEED him to continue hosting local races he will do what he can to maintain his contributions.
We can ask him what we as individuals can do.

For starters we can all call Dan or Drop him an email.
Lets thank him for all the great races in the past and ask him what we can do to help him to continue to throw races in the future.

More Volunteers on race day?
A few more dollars at registration?
Someone with web experience can help clean up his site?
Word of mouth advertising?
who knows?
Or maybe we can just help by showing up and racing at his next event
tell a friend
bring a friend
share the word

Lets try and help to bring Dan's Race series back to life.
Last year he hosted a Winter training series then Spring, Summer, and Fall race series.
This year he is scheduled for roughly 3 races, that is quite a drop off.

As mentioned we are not just missing the race that was to be held today at Poor Farm, but the races that were to be held each weekend for years to come. Lets see if we can halt the decline of racing in the Mid Atlantic Region.

Don't think that when Dan walks away from race promotion that there will be someone standing there ready to take his place. Sure there are other race series and some other races, but not everyone is ready to drive off to West Virginia every Saturday, camp, race, and then make the long drive back on Sunday afternoon after racing. It just is not an option for everyone. Local races are a wonderful alternative. Perhaps they are not as technically demanding and lack the vertical feet, or the epic climbs and the downhill reward, but they do offer racing. Racing with a friendly atmosphere and a professional promotion. I have made some good friends over the years racing at Dan's events (including Dan) and it would be sad for the cycling culture to lose such a positive contribution.

thanks for listening
lets do what we can
and hope for the best

happy trails
share the word
joel
clydesdale racer
city bikes mountainbike team

www.bikeracing.com
http://www.bikeracing.com/AMBS%20Contents/ambshomepg.htm
email him at: dcomber@bikeracing.com

Clydesdale Championships?

This is a race/event is something that I have been interested in being involved in for years.
A few years ago I searched and I searched but could not find any information on it. Went so far as called the guys at Dirt Rag to see if they knew anything about it. They were of no help, which is odd since the founder of Dirt Rag, Maurice, was the first person to win the title and has won it several times since. A friend of mine and fellow Clydesdale, Bill Davis, went to this race a few years ago and said it was not worth the trip. That is a great distance to travel just to do a race.

As for me, if I am going to travel a good distance, I might as well fly and head out to the 24 Hours of Moab or the 24 Hours of Tahoe and get a good ratio of race miles to travel time/expense.

A few years ago I did the Moab event and had a great time with a bunch of my Clydesdale buddies from out west. The race went well, we managed to win the coveted first place in the Clydesdale division (just a week before my wedding) but the days prior and the rides in Moab were superior to the race course itself. Moab is a Mountainbike Mecca with an assortment of terrain. The Granny Gear course is not the best sampling of what is to be ridden out there, but it is a great race just the same.

The year prior my brother and I grabbed a plane and headed out to Donner Pass for the first Granny Gear event out there (which has since moved to Tahoe proper) We had a blast. The course was awesome, a tad too much hike-a-bike, but that is the granny gear way. We linked up with a college buddy of Marc's named Tim Noakes and a cool cat from San Francisco named Kurt. Noakes was a roadie who had little respect or knowledge of mountainbiking and had never been night riding. Kurt was and is a seasoned cyclist with numbers of races under his belt and many miles on dirt. The race itself was small and had a great grass roots feel to it. Marc and I arrived a few days early and did a fair amount of preriding as well as some afternoon swims in the mountain ponds that were all over the mountains. There was also a guy named Gordon who worked for Marin that I had met in Bali racing there. It was a great gathering and a good time. We took first in the Clydesdale at this event as well. The numbers are not fresh in my head, but our overall standings are often respectable as well. It is not just a matter of being a fast Clydesdale, but being fast over all as well, oh, and there is that notion of fun that everyone claims it is all about.

Granny Gear 24 Hour Race History and Results

my friend Chris sent me this
sorry I missed this when it was live and something to mess with

Story About a Bush Online Poster that was being Fucked With By non-Bush Supporters

this is a response to a BLOGGER out west, TIMMYP
the KARATE MONKEY is part of his life as well
he tells great tales of living with the monkey

ah yes
the cycling experience is very different than many others
you see and smell your surroundings like no other
in my wide array of tools so many have been found on my rides around the city (DC)
my bright neon green tape measurer with the name PIG etched in the back
the black crow bar with the owners info stenciled in red paint
then some tools I will never need
like the suction cups that would be good for the Human Fly to climb glass sky scrapers
in addtion to the tools there are many other things scored on these rides
I am a semi-pro dumpster diver
all sorts of wheels and bikes;most that I will never use, have been found in the city alleys
then yesterday as I rode some rogue trails behind the DC resivour near the C&O canal I saw a rocky creek that I had never seen before
a great secret spot
maybe a place to take the dogs
or to just relax and eat a sandwhich mid ride
funny, I have been there several times before, but never looked over the edge, guess I was there during seasons where the green growth obstructed my view

I know alley short cuts that take me back in time
on Capitol Hill weaving between the 100 pllus year old houses
through that alleys past the carriage houses
imagining that their are horses and buggies rather than SUVs and lawn mowers

on my commutes to work I look into the cars and buses and I pedal by
eye contact is shared
I try to read their mind from my end and they try to read mine
I have a hard time understanding their choice of travel and they have no concept of mine
pretty girls wait at the bus stops
well dressed men hail cabs
nannys of one color push strollers carrying children of another
dogs walk the city streets, my attention waits to see if this dog owner picks up his dogs waste
I have seen this guy before....he never picks up
the other cyclist...the courier...the homeless man that pushes his bike that carries all that he owns....the latino man on the ladies bike....the roadie back from his training ride...and the other commuters making their way to work

each day I see the sights
no day is exactly as the day before
yet these days are completely different

here are some shots of the boys
these are a few of the cousins
Grant is not in the photo because he is only a month old and is somewhere being breast fed
and Benjamin is not in the photo because he is still just a bun in the oven

Spring is here and the beard is gone I miss it already it marks the start of my cycling season and makes me look thinner
or at least I hope

today/this am

this morning my alarm went off at roughly 7:30
my alarm's name being Dean
Seven thirty is pretty late for this guy; on our vacation in Florida there was a morning where he got up a few minutes before 5, but regularly he woke up at 5:30, so for him to get up at 7:30 was a pleasure
he got up, jumped into bed and jumped right out
guess he heard lisa downstairs and traded up
so I put my head down and went back to sleep for another half hour
once up I joined lisa dean and grant with my coffee
selected some gear for dean and headed out to the morning mist and the morning cold with Dean and the dogs
getting Dean out of the house was the usual game of loading his backpack (which we ended up forgetting) and selecting this hat and not that hat
dropped Dean off at "art class" and headed out with the dog
as I was scheduled to do the late shift at work I had some time to spare
went down into Rock Creek and did the Melvin Hazen trail
a short little loop that dips by the creek where Roscoe and Brutus were able to chase some ducks
then back home to grab some work gear and straddle my single speed and head into work
pointed the bike north even if work is south and cut through Bethesda onto the Capital Crescent Trail
as I crossed the Maryland/DC border I scanned the woods for the enterance to a small network of trails, then dropped in
nothing technical
but dirt beats pavement anyday
did a few loops through the woods, checked the watch and headed back for one more
(as these loops are small...very small)
just as I started to wind down the last loop I felt my front end getting a little sqooshy
FLATTED OUT
so I dismounted my ride and pulled out the tools of the trade
had a spare tube and a mini pump that took a thousand pumps to fill the tire
put the wheel back in
put the bike upright
and could immediately feel that the rear wheel was flat as well
not sure what caused the flats
maybe thorns maybe a snake bite
not sure
so I started walking
the little loop sure seemd a lot larger as I walked my way back to the Capital Crescent Trail
so I pulled out my cell and told my boss my situation
he had no problems and understood that I would be a little late
walked a few miles
was getting tired of walking when a rider with an Aussie accent offered me a patch
my acceptance was immediate
he pulled over and we started chatting away as i made the repairs
his voice was clue one, well actually, the bike was clue one, then the accent, and then his build
I remember meeting him once before months prior
he recalled our brief meeting
then it came up that he was heading cross country in two weeks
flying out to San Diego and riding back
the wife, the kids, and the job all gave him the go ahead for this "adventure"


more in a bit
this is dragging
and going no where
need to do some work

maybe a different topic

with that said it was a good morning
and all before work
walk in the woods
ride in the park
and some hanging with Dean
almost like a mini vacation right before work

kerry.bmp

and meanwhile GW is trying to bash him with some ad

WACKY AD

funny though....
if we were to look at other countries, such as Canada, that have socialized health care
perhaps the model of raising the gas prices is not such a bad idea
the only people who are penalized are the ones who drive often
and the ones who drive the gas guzzling SUVs
the ones who make long commutes in the SUV get penalized twice
which makes sense to me

there should be more incentive for alternative transport
and for those that must drive...
there are the fuel efficient Hybrids and Electrics

nest topic?
Two people in a 6 person SUV is HOV?
Two people on a motorcycle is just about HOV, but in Thailand they manage 5-7 people on a Vespa!

and for those with a few seconds to kill
check out
BUSH IN 30 SECONDS
and no this has nothing to do with the creation of the Bush Twins, no one would want to see that
this shows the finalists from the MOVEON.org commercial contest

back from florida
back to work
back to BLOGGING, if I can find the time
so much to do here after my time away, but slacking instead
better get into a groove or the day will go by and tomorrow will be twice as hard

just finished a rant to my cycling team about bashing a local race promoter
seems that many people were looking forward to a local race last Sunday and it was canceled at the last minute
sort of pissed some people off
there was some negative ranting among our team members on our team site
so I responded with this....

Hello City Bikers

Running a business is hard, being a race promoter is a unique business. Perhaps a harder business than some, maybe easier than others, certainly it looks attractive and must have some wonderful rewards, but it is work. There are many people to try and please as a race promoter just as with any business, so many variables to juggle so many different needs to meet. I can only imagine the headaches that the weather can cause on top of everything else. So I think that people may want to cut Dan some slack on his race cancellations. Sure his race series has its quirks, some of the courses may not be long enough, many of the courses may not be rocky or technical enough, but they are races and they are close. Many of his short comings may come from his need to accommodate each individual's needs as well as what the terrain in the immediate area offers. Some of his races start late....well, have you ever seen how late the racers show up for his events. He is never a stickler for closing down the sign up table and I for one am thankful of that. Personally, I enjoy the events. It is a good network of people, the races are close, fast, and fun. Dan puts on a solid event. Without the Dan's Races we would have far fewer races in the immediate area. If you do not want to do his races, well, that is your choice. But, to try and start a BOYCOTT is selfish and short sighted. And to bash him on the team sight is a dangerous thing to do as well. The 'readership' of this Yahoo Group stretches further than just our immediate team. I only know Dan from his races. He has always been very kind and friendly to me, he is always open for suggestions. At each event he takes time away from his set up to say hello and catch up. Sure his website could win awards for being one of the UGLIEST SITES ON THE WEB, but that is insignificant in the scheme of things. I look forward to his races, and hope that he will be able to continue offering races for mountainbike community in the many years to come. Try to be a tad more realistic or perhaps even grateful, and if you can't....well listen to your mother, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!"

As for me...
I try to be thankful to the promoters of each event.
At the Greenbriar event I met Vince, he was busy, but he gave me a minute to hear my thoughts on a Clydesdale Class, laughed about my harassing him via email and I think he and his crew all enjoyed a little thanks after the event (whether in person or via email, from me they got both) We all like a pat on the back for our efforts. So, lets try to put it all in perspective, these guys are not getting crazy rich off this stuff. They are contributing to the sport that we love. Cut them some slack. And if you can do better, I welcome you to try. But until then, let us all try to be a little more constructive in our criticism.


(which is funny cause I can be a real jerk some times, but I am trying to change)

thanks for listening
joel

trying to step off my soap box and get back to work

here is the link to see Dan's race schedule
and his ugly site

Dan's Races

and a link to the
City Bikes Mountainbike Team Photos